Double disaster: in the 70s Achatina fulica, a highly prolific species of giant African land snails, was introduced into French Polynesia as a source of food but soon turned into a pest. To keep the highly invasive Achatina under control, a predator snail, Euglandina rosea (rosey wolfsnail) was introduced into the islands. Euglandina however disregarded Achatina and instead devoured local species into oblivion.

According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, of the many Partula species endemic to the islands, by 2009 , 13 were critically endangered, 11 extinct in the wild and 51 extinct (including Partula affinis, P. auriculata, P. bilineata, Partula candida, P. citrina, P. dolichostoma, P. turgida, P. umbilicata and more).

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Greetings from Switzerland!

I created this weblog to share with others my interest in gastropods - or "snails and slugs", if you prefer. Here on the web I go by the nick of Schnäggli, which is - unsurprisingly, I guess - Schwiizertüütsch (Swiss German) for a snail.
This blog is a both a resource for others who may find in it useful information and a personal journal in which I record my experience, discoveries and encounters with all sorts of gastropods.All text and photos are copyrighted by me unless otherwise stated.